Halloween has always been a time of magic. However, there is one Halloween that stands out above the rest, one I think of as the year of the Samhain Santa, as in, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”. Though, of course, this story has nothing to do with him . . .
What happened was quite, quite unforgettable, especially since I was an adult when these events occurred and long past believing in witches with black peaked hats, vampires with long peaked teeth and Frankenstein’s Monsters with peaked metal stubs on their necks. As for the other reason . . it had nothing to do with what I thought but with what I knew: that this was the only year of my entire life when the full moon would fill the sky on Halloween night.
On a night like that, anything was possible.
My youngest was only seven weeks old at the time which made me 1. far younger than I am now (which has nothing to do with anything) and 2. suffering from severe sleep deprivation and lacking in energy for getting myself decked out in a costume. Though dressing up for Halloween was something I adored above all things in my youth, reveling in matching costumes with my boyfriend, fiancé or husband, whichever the case might have been at the time, it was a bit beyond me in my sleep deprived state. In spite of it, I did manage to get the Big Guy, the Middle Child and the Little Guy into acceptable outfits for trick-or-treat.
We headed out into the full-mooned night with great anticipation. That great, big, round piece of cheese took up an enormous section of sky and hovered over us wherever we went. We walked amongst the darkened streets of our neighborhood filled with rambling ranch-style homes with a forest of towering trees in each yard. It seemed a mile from one front door to the next. There were trick-or-treaters about, adding that unique flavor to the air, but then we suddenly came around the corner of a street a bit darker and much quieter than the others. It was a street we didn’t know well, we didn’t know anyone who lived there and so didn’t know to expect what happened next.
Shivering a bit with apprehension, we stealthily approached a house aglow with the flames of an iron cauldron in the driveway being stirred by a wondrous witch. Next to her, a dark fir framing each side of him in the nearly black sky and the ripe, heavy and impossibly round moon just above his head, was the inky silhouette of the perfect Frankenstein’s Monster.
The top of his head was appropriately squared, the ears sticking out amongst a thatch of brindled hair. His shoulders were as boxy as his noggin and his coat sleeves were more than a bit too short, just as one would expect. His pants were, as well, and his shoes looked as wrong-sized as one could tell in the black night.
For a full glorious moon-filled moment, we stared at him and he (we assume as we couldn’t see his expression in the night), stared back at us.
It was the best Halloween moment of my life.
(P.S. Happy Halloween! You all know what I do when life gets beyond my means to control it: I decorate. Click HERE to see this year’s Halloween décor. I mixed it up a bit from the previous years in this house and I must say, I like it quite a bit. It’s a wonder I got anything up at all this year, what with a dangerously slowed down thyroid gland—AGAIN! Increased meds are starting to help a teesny weensy bit. At this rate, I might even be feeling up to taking the Halloween stuff down in time for Christmas! What I hope more than that is to get back to reading your blogs AND writing Miss D Three. Yep, I said it: Miss D Three. I’m committed now, aren’t I?)
Imagine that you live in a land of dragons of blood reds, gangrenous greens and drowning blues. (See parts one, two and three of Here There Be Dragons by clicking the numbers or see the side bar) Imagine the one that haunts your house, a Roof Dragon, is particularly vile and nasty, so vile that, despite the fact that you and your family are most in need of the “Anti-Dragon Defense Team” (Serving the dragon-infested for 89 years!) you are least likely to receive a visit from them. Roof Dragons are the deadliest kind of dragon of all and, in the end, nobody relishes the idea of putting themselves in harm’s way. It’s uncomfortable, scary, and so darn hot!
Imagine when one or two saintly individuals do make the attempt ease your burdens, the dragon becomes so angry and full of hot air, you are forced to firmly but politely reject their offers to be of service because you are so very afraid of what could happen. Meanwhile, you never get a vacation, a reprieve, a respite or even a rest from the dragon; it’s always there, hovering over your shoulder, no matter what. You must constantly work at placating it or you will be punished through deepened poverty, isolation, sickness and overall weakness. But what does the dragon require in return for its dubious silence? All in your possession that stands between you and deepened poverty, isolation, sickness and overall weakness. There are moments when the irony of this truth fills you with ice-cold fury. There are other moments when it fills you with deep hopelessness and sadness. There are many, far too many, moments when the puzzle is so clearly without an answer, the riddle so without a resolution, you feel on the brink of madness.
Imagine doing everything you can to provide your family and yourself with what passes as a somewhat normal life. Imagine you are somewhat successful at it, so that even you begin to think it’s real—that your life won’t always have to be full of yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, hourly sacrifices to the dragon—and, as a result, you blithely forgo a sacrifice or two. Sometimes the dragon seems not to notice, so often, in fact, it anchors your belief that you are finally making the beginnings of escape. Then, one day, without any warning at all (it always happens thus) the dragon becomes enraged over something so small it is ridiculous. It roars its anger and hatred until you, cowering in a corner, shivering with the pain of your newest burns, far more painful than you remembered, realize how blind, stupid and utterly foolish you have been. Devastated, the sense of loss, disillusionment, despair and hopelessness threatens to swallow you into a far deeper pit of pain than the burns in your flesh ever could.
There are some who truly want to help and truly try. They will never know how much their efforts count, even when they fail.
There are those who truly want to help and truly can’t. They are treasured as much as those who do.
There are those who want to help but are afraid. They will never know the blessings they might have earned through their trying.
There are those who rush to your aid and believe they are helping when they minimize your challenges, preach to you lessons you learned long ago, or offer solutions that are either based on total ignorance or are so obvious you have already tried them and let their blackened remains flutter from your near-lifeless fingers in the wake of the dragon’s charry disapproval. You want to give them credit for trying but it is sometimes rather difficult.
There are those who feel they should help but simply don’t want to.
There are those who vaguely feel they should probably be doing something to help but find it too unpleasant to think about long enough to ever come to any kind of accurate conclusion. Some even bury these feelings when the burns in your clothes and the soot on your face fill them with reproach. Burned clothing and scorched hair are some of the things that make them most uncomfortable in life so they look away, feeling fully justified in their lack of consideration and kindness, while you and your family, with hands that hang down, go, sorrowing, away.
And then there is God. You know He is there and that the solace He offers is all that stands between you and utter destruction--and this gives you endurance. You know that one day your dragon will be eviscerated by a power you do not possess--and this gives you hope. Mostly, you know that all the suffering you endure in the meantime serves an important purpose--and this makes you glad. Yet, you can’t help but wonder how much of what you endure is ultimately needful for your salvation and how much of it is an opportunity for others to be blessed through their willingness to cart some of it away.
It’s an answer that is imminently unknowable when standing in the glare of the dragon’s roar.
(Comments off) (Okay, so they're still on, even though I turned them off, so . . .just pretend they're off.)
(Things have been so hot and smoky around here, I haven’t often been able to get to my computer through the haze. Yes, I am okay (mostly) but, just when I felt like I was beginning to catch up with my friends, I had to make another hasty retreat. After much girding of loins and the smelting of ore for armor and dragon-slaying equipage, we are in a bit of a wait-and-see pattern whilst we lick our wounds and make plans for navigating the holidays. It all seems to be taking so long . . .just know that I love you and am grateful for you. I think of you often and admire you for your willingness to cart away my cares, bits by bits of my burden, all of them pieces of my pain.)
(If you think you know the name of my dragon—psssst! It’s a what, not a who—email me via the address in the sidebar or that other one you already have.)
Like all authors who have slaved over a book with hopes of publication and has—hooray!--succeeded, I am grateful for book reviewers, both professional and not. After all, they have taken the time to read my book and say something about it. That is a gift!
However, to my dismay, I have concluded that some amateur online book reviewers, whether it be on Goodreads, Amazon, or their own book review blog, could benefit from hearing the perspective of the average author, something with which I am willing, nay, eager, to provide. (I will endeavor to be kind in my review of the amateur reviewer’s nasty habits.) (Really.) (Especially since I have a book coming out in a couple of months.) (In spite of the alleged pitfalls and weaknesses of the book that was published last time.) (Yes, really!) (And it's a SEQUEL!)
1. Be accurate. For example, it would be inaccurate to say how annoying it is that every character in the book has a name that starts with the letter V when, in fact, there are only three of twelve who do. Those readers who despise when an author shows just such a lack of originality might turn their nose up at a book that is actually quite original in the area of character naming, and thereby, a potential reader is lost to its hard-working creator. In addition, anyone who has read the book will know it is not true, most particularly the author, someone who, ahem, has been paid for what she/he writes, and you will simply look, ahem, foolish.
2. Educate yourself. If you have written a glowing review that the professional reviewers hated or if you have criticized a book that the professional reviewers loved, this is something you probably ought to know before you hit the publish button. When you claim a book is, for example, “predictable” and “forgettable”, yet, the professionals who are paid to read and review books for professional publications from which professional buyers make their professional book buying purchases claim the book to be “refreshing” and “unique”, even, "elevated above the genre's usual fare", in reviews that can be read online by anybody, (including your readers), you run the risk of looking ignorant.
3. Resist reviewing the author in the midst of your book review. No one is perfect, everyone has their own set of personal strengths and weaknesses, even people who write books, so keep the review to the merits of the printed page, not the character who wrote it. If you have a beef with the author, perhaps you are not the right person to do a review on his/her books. When you start to spout off with conjectures in the midst of a book review about the author, whether you know the author or, especially, if you do not, you simply come across as petty.
4. Remember that the author is a real person. With feelings, (and insecurities) (and possibly paranoia) and hopes for a successful career. If a book is truly awful, a reviewer has every right to say so—even if it isn’t. However, unless the author is so successful that your pithy little review (does that sound bitter?) is of no interest OR/AND, he/she doesn’t have time to read them all, the chances that the author is going to read your one or two star review filled with cutting remarks is highly likely. And when that review is nestled amongst plenty of four and five star reviews, you just sound cruel.
5. Keep your ego out of it. Most reviewers do a good job but once in a while there will be one who makes it his/her mission to write something witty and snarky in order to make themselves look, er, well, witty and snarky. Though this might be entertaining for your friends and readers, it really is a form of bullying; i.e. cutting someone down in order to elevate one’s self. In the end, this comes off as plain old jealousy.
6. Be respectful. After all, the author has published a book. This is no small achievement. In fact, most would say it is a big deal. A person has to be somewhat intelligent to get a work of writing between covers, as few books by stupid people make it into print. You don't have to like every book you read, or even pretend to, but do you really think you know better than a smart author, a professional editor and professional book reviewers? When you couch your negative remarks in condescending terms, you just might come across as arrogant.
7. Remember that books are a personal experience. How one responds to a book involves many factors. Try to be open-minded in your review approach. Of course, your review is your opinion and that is what reviews are all about. However, damning statements might turn away a reader who has different tastes than you and who might have enjoyed the book if read. You owe some amount of partiality (and accuracy and respect and all the rest) to those who read your reviews. If not, you simply come across as someone who shouldn’t be reviewing books.
1. Be accurate. For example, it would be inaccurate to say how annoying it is that every character in the book has a name that starts with the letter V when, in fact, there are only three of twelve who do. Those readers who despise when an author shows just such a lack of originality might turn their nose up at a book that is actually quite original in the area of character naming, and thereby, a potential reader is lost to its hard-working creator. In addition, anyone who has read the book will know it is not true, most particularly the author, someone who, ahem, has been paid for what she/he writes, and you will simply look, ahem, foolish.
2. Educate yourself. If you have written a glowing review that the professional reviewers hated or if you have criticized a book that the professional reviewers loved, this is something you probably ought to know before you hit the publish button. When you claim a book is, for example, “predictable” and “forgettable”, yet, the professionals who are paid to read and review books for professional publications from which professional buyers make their professional book buying purchases claim the book to be “refreshing” and “unique”, even, "elevated above the genre's usual fare", in reviews that can be read online by anybody, (including your readers), you run the risk of looking ignorant.
3. Resist reviewing the author in the midst of your book review. No one is perfect, everyone has their own set of personal strengths and weaknesses, even people who write books, so keep the review to the merits of the printed page, not the character who wrote it. If you have a beef with the author, perhaps you are not the right person to do a review on his/her books. When you start to spout off with conjectures in the midst of a book review about the author, whether you know the author or, especially, if you do not, you simply come across as petty.
4. Remember that the author is a real person. With feelings, (and insecurities) (and possibly paranoia) and hopes for a successful career. If a book is truly awful, a reviewer has every right to say so—even if it isn’t. However, unless the author is so successful that your pithy little review (does that sound bitter?) is of no interest OR/AND, he/she doesn’t have time to read them all, the chances that the author is going to read your one or two star review filled with cutting remarks is highly likely. And when that review is nestled amongst plenty of four and five star reviews, you just sound cruel.
5. Keep your ego out of it. Most reviewers do a good job but once in a while there will be one who makes it his/her mission to write something witty and snarky in order to make themselves look, er, well, witty and snarky. Though this might be entertaining for your friends and readers, it really is a form of bullying; i.e. cutting someone down in order to elevate one’s self. In the end, this comes off as plain old jealousy.
6. Be respectful. After all, the author has published a book. This is no small achievement. In fact, most would say it is a big deal. A person has to be somewhat intelligent to get a work of writing between covers, as few books by stupid people make it into print. You don't have to like every book you read, or even pretend to, but do you really think you know better than a smart author, a professional editor and professional book reviewers? When you couch your negative remarks in condescending terms, you just might come across as arrogant.
7. Remember that books are a personal experience. How one responds to a book involves many factors. Try to be open-minded in your review approach. Of course, your review is your opinion and that is what reviews are all about. However, damning statements might turn away a reader who has different tastes than you and who might have enjoyed the book if read. You owe some amount of partiality (and accuracy and respect and all the rest) to those who read your reviews. If not, you simply come across as someone who shouldn’t be reviewing books.
Contributors
- Heidi
- Wife, mother, novelist, gardener, bloggist, lover of good books, roses and vintage charm; passionate about her family, words, roses, vintage home decor, found treasures and the color pink.
Books of Which Even Jane Would Approve
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Part of the Power of the Matchmaker series
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A Midwinter Ball
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O'er the River Liffey
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Every Hope
a Triple Treat Romance
Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You?
The Scandal in Honor
Book Two in The Lord Trevelin Mysteries
The Devil in Beauty
The Lord Trevelin Mysteries
A RONE Award Finalist
Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice
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Crowned Heart Recipient
A RONE Award Finalist!
The Lord Who Sneered and Other Tales
Like me on Facebook!
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A Miss Delacourt Adventure
My Novel
Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind (Book 1)
The Sequel
Miss Delacourt Has Her Day (Book 2)
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A Miss Delacourt Adventure #3
It Happened Twelfth Night
my anthology novella
The Large Print Version
My heroine-Ginny Delacourt
by Audrey Eclectic
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